Employment and labour markets
Employment and labour markets is one of Eurofound's main operational activities for its 2025–2028 programming period. Building on the past 50 years of research, Eurofound continues to provide knowledge to identify structural changes in the labour market and to inform employment policies to improve the functioning and inclusiveness of a rapidly changing labour market.
Eurofound’s work is shaped by the opportunities and challenges arising from four mega-drivers: demographic change, climate change, technological change and re-globalisation. The research investigates labour market dynamics, company practices, restructuring and social partner involvement in addressing these changes to provide evidence to inform the understanding of the EU’s competitiveness and to reinforce socioeconomic resilience.
About Employment and labour markets
Learn more about this topic and its relevance for EU policy making.
Highlights for Employment and labour markets
This is a selection of the most important outputs for this topic.
6 January 2025
Eurofound work programme 2025: Supporting better policies for a strong social Europe
This programming document outlines Eurofound's planned activities for the programming period 2025–2028. It provides the policy and institutional context for the programme, outlines the multiannual programme for the four-year period and sets out the work programme for 2025.
Amid evolving EU policies, the European Parliament elections in 2024, the election of a new European Commission and an uncertain global economic and social climate, Eurofound adopts a flexible and systemic approach to its research. Drawing on its core expertise in the areas of working conditions, industrial relations, employment and living conditions, Eurofound will address the opportunities and challenges posed by four mega-drivers: climate change, demographic change, technological change, and re-globalisation and geopolitical reconfiguration. Eurofound will continue to support its stakeholders by providing evidence to support their policy action.
6 January 2025
Multiannual research programme 2025–2028: Responding to Europe’s new opportunities and challenges
Eurofound's multiannual work programme for 2025–2028 addresses the opportunities and challenges arising from four key mega-drivers: climate change, demographic change, technological change and re-globalisation and geopolitical reconfiguration. These drivers reflect the uncertainty surrounding their impact on the EU as well as the unpredictability of the context and climate of polycrisis. To adapt to the evolving global context, Eurofound is continuing to incorporate greater flexibility into its work programme to adapt to the evolving global context, a changing policy agenda, as well as a new financial reality. Eurofound will focus on its core policy areas – working conditions, industrial relations, employment and living conditions – to continue to support its stakeholders by providing evidence to support their policy actions.
2 May 2024
Living and working in Europe 2023
The post-pandemic recovery of Europe continued in 2023, with strong job creation despite subdued economic growth, against a background of rising geopolitical tension. Eurofound’s research over the year brought to light evidence on the key issues shaping the daily lives and work of Europeans. This 2023 yearbook provides a snapshot of that work, summarising the Agency’s findings on a wide range of topics, including rising labour shortages and initiatives to address them, the impact of workplace stressors on health and well-being, the challenges of securing affordable housing, and developments in minimum wages across the Member States. Eurofound’s research on working and living conditions in Europe provides a bedrock of evidence for social policymaking and achieving the Agency’s vision ‘to be Europe’s leading knowledge source for better life and work’.
All content for Employment and labour markets
This section provides access to all content that has been published on the topic.
